It's Still You
by Novarin
Summary: After stopping their No Mercy run, Chara decides to let Frisk do things their way. Follow along as they confront everything from murderous flowers to the person they share a body with flirting with every living thing they see. It's sure to be a wild ride. Sort-of sequel to "It's You, Chara."
1. Which Run is This?

Once again, you opened your eyes on the bed of golden flowers. An all too familiar light shone down on you from the hole carved in the ceiling of this cave. You pushed yourself to your feet with practiced ease. The dull pain in your body was nothing compared to what you had gone through before. You once again wore the ratty old bandage and held the stick for defense.

Or rather, Frisk did. You were back to being the voice in their head, the angry side to their consciousness. You hated sharing a body with them. So many sickening feelings and emotions ran through their head all of the time. You didn't miss them. You missed the LV though. Now, you just felt completely empty again. But you weren't unfair. It was Frisk's turn. Maybe they'd find something to sate your boredom.

" _Lead the way, Frisk,_ " you said apathetically, rolling your eyes. Frisk either takes no notice of your tone— or ignores it completely like the little shit they are— and walks on. Without you.

You jumped in surprise, and even more so when you realized you could. Frisk turned around, and looked just as startled. You had a body. You could actually see yourself standing there, on the bed of golden flowers. You had your favorite green sweater on too. But something was still weird. You could feel Frisk's emotions and sensations still. So…

" _I'm like a ghost, aren't I?_ " you asked, the reason coming to you. Even looking at your hand, it was slightly transparent. With enough effort, you could see Frisk through it. They were smiling slightly. Even your voice still had the same ethereal feeling as when you spoke mentally. Not to mention your feet didn't even touch the ground anymore. God, you were a ghost.

You sighed. Maybe this was an improvement. If only slightly. " _Go screw yourself."_

"I have no idea what that means," Frisk replied out loud, a small smile on their face. But you could tell they were lying. You didn't even need access to their mind to do that. They were just a bad liar. You walked past them.

 _"Sure you don't…. Let's just get your weird pow-wow run over with so we can do my thing."_

"You'll see," Frisk replied simply. "My way is so much better." With that, they walked through the marble door and into the next room, where that stupid flower was waiting. You floated after, muttering to yourself. This was going to suck.

Just as expected, Flowey was waiting at the other side of the door. Just like with the flowers you landed on time and time again, the area he had planted himself in was bathed in fresh sunlight. Perfect for weeds like him. As Frisk entered, he didn't even drop that fake grin he always wore to appear friendly. It unnerved you to be honest. And you thought a talking flower was creepy enough.

However, this time, he didn't do anything to attack you. All he offered was, "Don't you have anything better to do?" before disappearing into the dirt in a flash. See? Completely weird. Even his voice was creepy; all high pitched and friendly like some cereal mascot. You stared at the spot where he was just a moment ago. He always disappeared before you could cut him to ribbons. Maybe next time. That was something better to do.

It was then that Toriel finally arrived. She had entered just as Flowey disappeared. You turned away. There was no point in listening to her ramble on about the ruins for the _nth_ time (you weren't really sure what " _nth_ " meant— you had just seen it in Sans' weird book— but you assumed it meant a really big number. Frisk though? They couldn't get enough. Their part of your SOUL brightened with love so bright, you could feel it ticking your own closed-off area.

Frisk lit up in Toriel's presence as she went on about Flowey torturing such an innocent youth. You could barely suppress a laugh at the irony. Innocent. Yeah, the kid who killed you at least five times is an innocent child. Part of you wished more people than Sans knew what was happening. It would make things more interesting. But so would just killing them, even if hunting everyone down got old fast.

" _Chara_."

 _"Right, right. Your turn. Trust me, I won't take over this time."_ Frisk believed you whole-heartedly, and went back to following Toriel through the next part of the Ruins. You remembered going through here once or twice, before someone put up that mini-barrier. You had to admit, it was impressive that some monster had the magical power to create a one-way exit like that. It just pissed you off that you couldn't go back and finish the job those few times you left before finishing killing everything.

Well, pissed off wasn't the exact phrase (since emotions weren't really your thing), but the point was still there.

You followed Frisk and Toriel to the next room, not that you had much of a choice. A quick test showed that you couldn't go too far from Frisk at all. A few feet at most. It wasn't like you could talk to anyone but your head-mate anyway.

You only paid slight attention as Toriel led Frisk through the ruins. You couldn't even bother with these puzzles anymore. You had done them so many times already, you could do it with your eyes closed. But Frisk, no, they let Toriel hold their hand and lead them through the spike puzzle they knew the solution to by heart. So stupid. You groaned, and Frisk shot you a look. You offered a much meaner one than they could muster.

 _"I know you want to do things your way, but I hate you and everything you stand for."_

This stupid charade went on for quite a few minutes. The part you still hated most was when Toriel ran across the room to hide behind a pillar. "Testing your independence" or some crap like that. You and Frisk were fine on your own, especially if you were the one in control. But then, she was finally gone, leaving you with a crappy phone. Just like every other time, it was one you recognized well. The one Asriel had when you were kids. Back then, it was actually a rather nice one, but now, it was just sad. Out of date down here too, if Alphys was right about it.

 _"Alright, she's gone_ ," you commented. " _Let's get moving so I don't have to spend more time than needed in this place. I wanna see how Sans feels about us RESETing again."_

Frisk began to walk forward, into the next room. _"But he got what he wanted, so he'd be happy about that, right?"_

You began to lay down, or rather float horizontally, as you realized you could. Maybe being some sort of ghost was a bit more interesting. You could certainly bug Frisk better like this. And it just felt better. _"Yeah, but I still like how hopeless he feels over not having any control over what I do."_ You grinned the same smile that you knew made everyone uncomfortable. Vacant eyes, wide smile. It always made people unsettled. _"And for all he knows, I killed him and just came back for more, right?"_

Frisk was completely unconcerned as they went into the next room and grabbed a piece of candy from the pedestal.

 **"You grab a piece of candy."**

You frowned as they turned away and gestured wildly at the bowl of free candy. _"Oh come on! At least grab as many as you can carry! We all know no one else is gonna take gross monster candy from a creepy bowl in a cave!_ " Honestly, Frisk was so weird sometimes. Even you couldn't tell if their eyes were ever open or not. And they ate whatever was in front of them, for fun no less. At least you had the dignity to not literally eat trash. Just pieces of a sentient snowman.

For snow, that thing tasted pretty good.

 _"The bowl always falls over and ruins the candy, Chara."_

 _"But we get three pieces!_ " You groaned. " _And I wanted an excuse to call you the scum of the earth again._ "

God, this was going to be a long run.


	2. Pacifism is Boring

"You look very nice today. Is that some new makeup?"

" _It's a monochrome frog, Frisk. It doesn't wear makeup, and all of them look exactly the same. Stop complimenting them!_ " You were starting to get fed up with this. Frisk's whole ACT thing was really annoying. You only liked doing that when you wanted to make the monster want to spare you. Before killing them. It brought a little spice to your life.

" **The froggit didn't understand what you said, but was flattered anyway.** "

Frisk dodged another wave of attacks as you stood by to watch. The flies that acted as the frog's attacks fluttered right through you, which was an odd sensation. It didn't make you feel a thing, but you kept expecting them to cause you damage. It was a hard habit to break. But as soon as Frisk let you have your way again, you'd be back to killing everything in your path.

Finally, Frisk spared the monster and the world came back into focus. You groaned at the sight of the endless purple stone walls of the ruins. " _How much longer until we reach Toriel?_ "

" _You should know that by now,_ " Frisk replied as they walked, poking stuff with their stick. Why couldn't they at least switch it out for another weapon. The Toy Knife would do for now. It was better than a stick. " _We've gone through this a good dozen times._ " Was that a hint of bitterness seeping into their SOUL? Finally. Maybe Frisk did have a bit of kick to them. " _But we can call her if you want."_

" _Please don't— and you already have the phone out. Great."_ You went off to sulk as far away from Frisk as possible while they called Toriel and talked about the dumbest things. Like just saying hello and talking about themselves, even though not much about Frisk came out of that. For such a nice kid, they kept a lot to themselves. And then, Frisk started **flirting** with her. That actually made you flinch with the need to do something violent. What the actual fuck? What kind of person flirts with the person who shares their body's mom?

You froze. You called her Mom again.

The thought brought back a whole host of memories you thought you had long-since buried. Being taken care of when you were sick, Toriel letting you help her cook whenever you wanted, even though the pies always turned out wrong when you made them. It brought forth a twinge of… something, in your chest.

"So, Mom…" You turned around, staring daggers at Frisk. That had that shit-eating grin on their face. But somehow, you got the feeling that they weren't just messing with you. They probably sensed that you thought of Toriel as your mother! So why were they doing it if you hated it?

You heard Toriel's voice over the receiver. "Huh? Did you just… call me Mom?" Her voice was cracking, but you couldn't tell if that was the bad connection or something much sadder. "Would it make you happy to call me 'Mother?' Then call me whatever you like!"

You grimaced. Why was she lying like that? Being devoid of emotion left you a lot more perceptive to others'. And just from that, you could tell she was upset, or maybe even a little happy. But you knew. She could only think of the two children she had lost so long ago. And probably the other six she bonded with before they all left and got killed. How messed up was that?

The minutes dragged for what felt like an eternity. The ruins were always your least favorite part of this game, and it was all a game to you now. If it were a real one, you'd consider this the tutorial. Heh, to-Toriel. Sans would get a kick out of that one. You'd have to get Frisk to mention it to him sometimes.

" _Did you just think about doing a nice thing for Sans?_ " Frisk had a grin on their face. You growled, trying to hide how flustered that made you.

" _O-of course not! I fucking hate that guy!_ "

" _Time for another dollar in the swear jar!_ " They were laughing now. You hated them sometimes.

" _We don't have a swear jar! And if you haven't noticed, I'm a ghost!_ "

" _I'll just put it on your tab."_ Jesus Christ, was Frisk keeping a tab on your swearing? What the hell! If they were, you probably owed at least $1000 dollars (fighting Sans was a long series of anger management, even if you couldn't actually get angry). And the worst part is, you knew they'd find a way to make you pay it.

You felt your sins crawling on your back.

After a bit more yelling at Frisk to do something interesting while they continued to flirt with anything and everything they saw (including the slime thing for whatever reason), you reached the area that housed an enemy you forgot existed.

"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

" _Oh God, it's this guy again._ " On a pile of red leaves lay a ghost, looking just like you'd expect a ghost to. They looked like a transparent bedsheet over a person. Honestly, if you hadn't stuck a hand through them at one point, you would have thought they were just a monster under a sheet.

" **This ghost is just saying 'z' repeatedly, pretending to be asleep.** "

" _You know their name._ "

" _No, I don't. I didn't care enough._ " Okay, maybe that was a lie. But who cared about this sad sack. " _Just wake 'em up already so we can move on._ "

Ignoring your annoyance, Frisk poked the ghost with their stick lightly. Well, as lightly as you can stab a piece of wood through a ghost. At once, they realized that trying to stay asleep was pointless and began the battle.

" **Here comes Napstablook.** " At once, you began what you had been doing to entertain yourself through these boring battles: playing music. You weren't sure how it worked, but if you thought about it hard enough, you could make music appear out of nowhere (even if you didn't have control over what was played) . Well, actually, it felt like it was from a mix of Frisk's SOUL and that of whoever they were fighting, but same difference. What mattered was, you could distract Frisk as much as possible until they got killed so many times they let you have control. Then, things could be interesting.

When it came to Napstablook, a jazzy beat came forth, but it was somehow subdued. Accurate as far as you were concerned.

Immediately, Frisk pressed their palm to the ACT button. At once, they started to try and cheer Napstablook up. With that perpetual depressed look, who wouldn't want to? Even you felt sort of felt bad for them the first time around. And then you tried to kill them, but ghosts can't be killed. They're weird.

That's why you didn't like them.

" **You gave Napstablook a patient smile."** Frisk smiled warmly at the ghost. It was weird for everyone, but they smiled back slightly. Then the tears started to flow. Napstablook tear-shaped attacks flowed from their eyes haphazardly, practically shooting out like bullets. Frisk flew about, dodging each and every attack with practiced precision. Not that it was hard.

" _You could just hit them until they go away,_ " you suggested hopefully. Frisk shook their head, once again pressing the ACT button. " _Yeah, I didn't think so._ "

Frisk snickered. "Hey, why are you so sad? I thought what ghost up, must come down!" They giggled at their own pun. You groaned. Sans was corrupting them. His influence had to be stopped!

" **You told Napstablook a little joke.** "

Napstablook didn't seem to like the joke, but didn't hate it either. "Heh… heh…" Such forced laughter.

All of a sudden, white words appeared in the background of the void. _Really not feelin up to it right now. Sorry._

" _You and me both, Blook."_

With Napstablook's turn over, it was once again time for Frisk. They once again tried to cheer them up, walking over for a hug. Napstablook looked surprised, but didn't stop them. And Frisk immediately fell through their incorporeal body and into the pile of leaves, giggling all the while. What a dork.

" **Napstablook wants to show you something."**

"Heh. Let me try…" Their expression wasn't any different, but you could sense some sort of happiness coming from Napstablook. It was then that they started crying again. But this time, they flowed upward. They flowed together, eventually forming the shape of a rather dapper top hat.

"Do you like it? I call it Dapper-blook…." Frisk nodded vigarously, the biggest grin on their face. God, you hated these two sometimes. One was just pitiful and the other was like someone out of a bad 50's kids' movie. "Oh… oh geez."

The battle area faded, and you found yourselves back in the ruins. You just wanted to get this over with.

" _Start skipping their dialogue already!_ "

" _Neither of us know what that means._ "

" _I don't care, just do it!_ "

But in the midst of your momentary argument, Napstablook had already disappeared, leaving the way ahead clear. They always said something about coming here to be alone. That ghost was relatable in that sense.

" _Wanna go buy some donuts?_ " Frisk asked.

" _I will make you run into every one of Undyne's spears later if you make me eat on of those godforsaken pastries made of eight-legged demons from-_ "

" _Spider Donuts it is!_ "

" _If I could, I would be strangling you right now_ "

* * *

After an eternity, Frisk reached the place Toriel inevitably found the two of you. Just on cue, she walked up next to the probably-dead tree and pulled out her phone to dial the number on the one she gave to you. Frisk had the phone out before the call even came through, not that it mattered.

Toriel's eyes widened in surprise as she heard the phone ringing. She followed the sound and her gaze landed squarely on you. And she went full mom-mode. "Oh! My child!" You frowned. "What are you doing here? I told you to stay in that hall to wait!" There wasn't a hint of anger in her voice, as always. Just concern. "Well, at least you aren't hurt."

Frisk smiled from all of the attention and love. You floated away from it, as far as you could get. This was just annoying. Like really, hurry it up, people.

"Come, I was trying to make a surprise dinner for you, but I suppose now we can really have it warm." Led by the hand, Frisk followed Toriel up to her house in the ruins.

You had to admit, it was really nice. Solid structure, nice color scheme, quality decorating. And, oh yeah, exactly like the one in New Home that you lived in for a year. It was eerie how similar the two houses were, in your experience. They were exactly alike as far as you could tell, aside from where their respective basements led. Now, the question was, which one was built first?

"Ah, I have a surprise for you, child," Toriel announced excitedly. You rolled your eyes. There wasn't much of a surprise in it, considering you'd been here at least a dozen times (honestly, you and Frisk lost count after RESET #6), but Frisk went along with it as always. They matched Toriel's excitement as they followed her down the hall to the kids' room, cleaned up just for us.

And abandoned by six other children, just like us.

"Ta-daa!" She announced. "Your own room." She smiled warmly as she rubbed Frisk's head. Okay, even you had to admit her head rubs were pretty nice. Calming and full of love. You preferred LOVE, but potato tomato.

" _That's not the saying,"_ Frisk interjected.

" _And this isn't the best way to do things, but look where we are anyway._ "

Frisk shrugged and ignored you as they walked inside their temporary room. Toriel went to finish up dinner. It was just the two of you now. Frisk went to lay on the bed as you floated nearby. To be honest, you missed taking naps. Just a bit. And that bed was really comfy. Just like your old one.

" _This is still the most boring way to go through all of this. At least kill something! Why not Jerry? He's annoying. And everyone ditches him anyway."_

" _We're not killing Jerry."_

You crossed your arms and huffed. " _Why do you have to be such a buzzkill?"_

" _You'll see, Chara. This is the best way to do it."_

* * *

 **Salty ghost Chara is honestly the best Chara in my opinion. I'm so glad this has gotten such a positive reception though. I feel so loved. Chara doesn't care though. They just want to stab things because it's fun. But really, I hope you enjoyed this chapter too.**


	3. Heartache is the Best Medicine

It was dark when you woke up. Well, the room you were in was dark. It was kind of hard to tell the time of day when there was an entire layer of the dirt between you and the sky. Artificial light was all you had to go by at the moment.

You sat up and stretched out, mostly out of habit at this point. It wasn't like you had a body to get sore. Frisk was up soon afterward. They were even groggier than you, which was saying something. And you thought you were the night owl.

It had been a week since you arrived at the ruins this time. Frisk seemed to be enjoying their time with Toriel, doing all of the things you used to do with her. You always ignored them as she read to Frisk, let them help her cook, tucked them in at night. You didn't want to be reminded of when you were alive. At least now you understood why you always wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. It brought back too many memories. Memories you'd much rather forget. You weren't sure if Frisk was able to see your memories— you certainly couldn't see theirs— but they once again seemed to be trying to get you to reach out. Forget that. If it meant Toriel wouldn't try to pity you, to make you feel anything, you were happy this way.

The first run, you actually had some control. You told Toriel it was you, and another kid. She was just as warm as ever, and did her best to care for you again. But you could tell she missed Asriel too. You weren't her real kid after all. You couldn't even bring up a single ounce of emotion toward her. So, you did what you could to try and summon some form of emotion.

You killed her.

You reasoned that she had seen so many children come and go, including her beloved son, that she was better off dead. It was better than living with the knowledge that no matter what she did, she wouldn't be able to save anyone. Frisk was appalled, but you still felt nothing, even as you watched her SOUL shatter into countless pieces. You just felt your LV go up.

Frisk RESET right after that, but you didn't make the same mistake that time. You hid inside of Frisk's consciousness until you wanted to increase you LV again and you were far away from Toriel. That time, you killed a few people again, but it wasn't enough. It was time for another RESET.

As you were lost in thought, Frisk pulled themselves out of bed, still hunched over like a zombie. They were silent for a while as they changed out of their pajamas that Toriel gave them, and into their favorite striped sweater. Finally, they said to you, " _Let's leave today._ " They found the slice of cinnamon butterscotch pie on the ground and put it in their inventory. Toriel always seemed to leave you one.

You grinned, completely out of habit at this point. " _Really? Ugh, finally! My runs never take this long! You know, next time I get two for this, right?_ " Once again, they were silent. That was normal enough for them. But you always got them to talk to you. Well, you could hear their thoughts, so it wasn't like they could avoid talking to you in the first place.

You poked Frisk on the shoulder, floating around them for a bit. " _Hey! You're acting weird. What? Don't wanna fight_ _ **Mom**_ _?_ " You spat out that word with more venom that you expected you were able to. It was almost like you were angry. You looked away, trying to hide the annoyance you felt with that thought. " _It's not like she'll actually kill you. You'd have to try to die to her._ "

Frisk was still silent as they left the bedroom and went down the hall to the study, past the basement stairs. Finally getting this show on the road. But their silence was still kind of creepy. Were they that messed up over having to fight Toriel? What a wimp.

Just as expected, Toriel was sitting in her chair near the fireplace, reading a book. Probably the same one about snails she always read. She looked up as soon as she heard Frisk enter though, a smile on her face. It radiated warmth and love.

"Oh, up already? Did you pick up the pie slice I left in your room?" Just like always. "I just wanted to tell you, I am really glad you're here. There are so many old books I want to share with you, and my favorite bug hunting spot. I've also prepared a curriculum for your education. This may come as a surprise to you, but I've always wanted to become a teacher… actually, maybe that's not too surprising. Still, I'm glad to have you here."

"When can I go home?" Frisk asked. Their eyes were downcast, refusing to meet Toriel's. It would be impossible for anyone else to, but you could tell they were shaking.

The shift in mood was immediate. Toriel's eyes widened and she sat up straighter. "What? This… this _is_ your home now." You could tell she was uncomfortable. For good reason anyway. "Um, would you like to hear about this book I am reading? It's is called 72 uses for snails." Changing the subject. Smart. "How about it?"

"How do I leave the ruins?" Frisk asked forcefully. Not aggressively, but it was obvious they weren't kidding.

"Um, how about an exciting snail fact?" Her voice shook ever so slightly. "Did you know that snails-"

"Where is the exit?" Frisk shook even more, sniffling a bit. Were they crying? What a baby.

Toriel was silent for a few moments. "I… have to do something. Stay here."

With surprising speed, Toriel stood and closed her book, leaving it on the cushion of her chair. She was out of the room in a flash. You knew exactly where she was going. Still quiet, Frisk hurried after her and down the stairs to the basement.

The basement hall was a calming purple, just like the rest of the ruins. Every step echoed loudly through the room in ominous crashes. Toriel was waiting for you at a few feet ahead, her back turned. Seeing her so determined to stop you... it filled you with DETERMINATION. A stramge feeling welled up from within your and Frisk's shared SOUL, like bubbles boiling to the surface. With that feeling, SAVE popped into existence right by you. The shining yellow hole in space and time could only be seen by you and Frisk.

"You wish to know how to return home, do you not?" Toriel asked. Her voice was flat, lacking all of the strength you heard before. "Before us lies the end of the ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again."

You clenched your fist. How dare she try to keep you trapped here with her? How selfish could you be? The ruins were too small, and so was the underground. You needed to leave one after the other. You could take care of yourself.

"Now be a good child and go upstairs." She spoke with a demanding force that made Frisk flinch. She was not one to mess with. It was a good thing she always held back against you. She began to hurry along again, but Frisk was right on her heels.

"Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. And they die. You naive child. If you leave the ruins…. they… Asgore… will kill you." You chuckled. Like he could kill you. Even Asgore was nothing against your power. "I am only protecting you, do you understand?" She begged. "Go to your room."

Finally, you reached the bend in the road. "Do not try to stop me." Her voice was filled with desperation, despite her harshness. "This is your final warning." Now, the door to the Ruin's exit was before you. It was tall, decorated with the symbol of the monster's kingdom: something about a prophecy.

"You want to leave that badly?" She huffed. She knew she wasn't going to stop Frisk. "You are just like the others." Frisk started to shake again. "There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself. Prove to me you're strong enough to survive." Finally, Frisk looked up at her. There were tears in their eyes.

They were remembering last time. What you, and by extension _they_ , did to her.

She paused, eyes wide. "Wait… why are you looking at me like that? Like you have seen a ghost? Do you know something that I do not?"

You smiled. " _Lady, you have no idea._ "

"No, that is impossible."

Finally, you felt the tug on your SOUL as you were pulled into the battle. A black void faced you, with only Toriel ahead.

" **Toriel blocks the way!** "

Frisk immediately pressed their hand to the Mercy button. Whereas they felt relief, revulsion spread through you. How could mercy make someone survive in this world. Toriel's expression was blank before her magic welled up.

Fire spread from Toriel's fingertips. It crackled and sparked along her fur before condensing into balls of fire. The same fireballs you had faced dozens of times arced downward into the box you were trapped within. Frisk flitted about, dodging each and every one.

" **Toriel looks through you.** "

Frisk pressed SPARE. Toriel attacked again. It continued in silence. Frisk took a lot of hits through it all. The fire collided with their SOUL, causing intense pain to spread through both of you. It felt as if every part of your body was on fire for the few seconds the pain lasted. Soon enough, your HP was getting low. And yet, Frisk continued to offer mercy.

"WHat are you doing?" SPARE. "Attack or run away!" Her voice cracked. Did she… want you to kill her? For the first time, you weren't sure what to make of this. "What are you proving this way?" You saw the resolve in her eyes waver, if only for a moment.

Another fire attack came down from Toriel's hands. However, Frisk wasn't quick enough this time. A fireball made a direct hit with your SOUL. Your HP dropped to 2.

" _Damn it, Frisk!_ " You shouted after the pain faded. " _Let me take over! You're going to get us killed._ "

" _She won't kill us._ " Us? What did they mean by us? If Toriel knew what you were capable of, what Frisk was holding back, what she had discovered last time, she would never have held back against you. All because she was too caring to people she met a week ago. It was idiotic.

" **Toriel prepares a magical attack.** "

"Fight me or leave!" Her voice was filled with desperation as she sent a wave of fireballs streaking down upon you. However, when each one came close, she pulled each bullet away from your SOUL with practiced precision. Not a single one came close.

" **Toriel is acting aloof.** " SPARE.

"Stop it." SPARE. "Stop looking at me that way." She refused to look Frisk in the eyes. SPARE.

Finally, Toriel's composure cracked. Tears started to flow from her eyes. She was unable to hold them back at all. "Just go away!" SPARE. Fire attacks.

This cycle carried on forever, and even you found that you couldn't bare to watch anymore. Frisk's emotions were leaking into you. You looked away from the fight. Or lack thereof. Somehow, it hurt. A name for the music that was playing popped into your head.

Heartache.

Suddenly, it all stopped. Everything went silent. Frisk offered mercy once again.

"Please, go upstairs now. I promise I will take care of you here." Toriel offered a patient smile. You could tell it was full of hope that Frisk would stay. A false hope. Everyone in the room knew that from the start. There was only one way this could end. "I know we do not have much… but we can have a good life here. Why do you make this so difficult? Please, go upstairs."

Frisk tried to SPARE her again. She frowned. She really had lost all hope that Frisk would stay. And she knew what they were about to go through. She laughed. "Pathetic, is it not? I cannot even save the life of a single child."

Frisk wiped their eyes. You had missed it in the tension, but they had started to cry long ago. They were a wreck, snot dripping down their face, tears mixing with it. They… really didn't want to leave. But they knew they had to.

"No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down here. The ruins are very small once you get used to them." She knew that from experience. You did too. "It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations…. My loneliness…. My fear…. For you, my child, I will put them aside."

 _If only she put them aside when I died and had just let Asriel go._

The world returned in it's pure purple and pink form. Toriel still refused to look at you. "If you truly wish to leave the ruins, I will not stop you. However, when you leave… please do not come back." She sniffled, although she was hiding her true sadness. She wasn't going to let a single tear show. "I hope you understand."

She finally turned around and bent down to hug Frisk. Her arms enveloped them in an all-encompassing hug. Frisk buried their face in her fur, still crying. Their chest heaved as they sobbed. You turned away. Such an annoying display of affection.

Well, maybe you missed those hugs too. Just a bit.

"Good-bye, my child."

And then, in a flash, she was gone, walking back down the hallway. Fris turned back for just a moment, holding back the urge to call out to her. You could tell they wanted to stay more than anything. But not why. You, however, found yourself staring long after she was gone. Maybe not killing Toriel _was_ the better choice.

You could skip her next time.


	4. A Skele-Ton of Fun

Flowey wasn't waiting for you two this time. You had grown used to his taunts every time you came across the weed. Well, they were mostly directed at Frisk. If there was one thing you liked about him, it was that he knew the meaning of kill or be killed. And you felt a weird connection with him. Maybe he was just as SOULless as you. Wouldn't that be funny?

But other than that, you wanted a weed-whacker more and more as you interacted with him.

Frisk walked past the spot where Flowey usually appeared, apprehension welling up inside of them. You both expected him to pop up out of nowhere, even if he wasn't going to attack. You got the feeling he liked getting a rise out of people like that. But despite Frisk's worry, he didn't show up at all. Weird.

As Frisk approached the exit to the ruins, you started to smile. Soon, you'd see Sans again. And this time, he wouldn't have any idea what you were capable of. The thought that he'd be fine around Frisk while you were there too, planning the best way to kill him next time.

Frisk placed their hands on the door. Freezing cold nipped at their fingertips at once. Even the stone did not do much to keep out the cold. They pushed the heavy door open, revealing a white and brown landscape of snow and trees. Wind blew into their face, sending shivers down Frisk's body. You felt nothing. You definitely liked being a "ghost" if it meant you didn't experience pain or discomfort either.

Frisk stepped out, turning their head for one last look outside. Their foot crunched into the freshly-fallen powder with a satisfying sound. Even they had to smile a bit after that.

A few steps later, Frisk turned their head back toward the door, but it was already sealed shut again. It was a one-way exit after all. You weren't sure how it worked, but there was no going back now. They continued on.

" _I'm really glad you finally got this show on the road,_ " you commented. " _I mean, wasting a whole week in the ruins? Really? That's like, how long it takes us to get through three runs._ " Until one of you manages to RESET that is. No matter what, one of you always RESET before reaching the Hall of Judgement. The last run was the first time you'd ever made it that far. What a waste. You never even get to fight Asgore.

" _Why do you call them that?_ " Frisk suddenly asked.

You flinched. " _What?_ "

" _Why do you call it a 'run'?_ "

You frowned and looked away. " _Well, I needed to call it something._ " _And it's all a game to me at this point, so why not call it like it is?_ You decided not to say that part out loud. Frisk never liked you calling everything a game. They needed to grow up and stop acting all high and mighty in your opinion.

Suddenly, there was a crack behind you. It was obvious in the deafening silence of the forest. Frisk whipped around, spotting a familiar stick on the ground. They had hopped over it, just like always. And just like always, Sans broke it. Probably to freak you out. You had been so busy talking, both of you had forgotten about that. But you were determined to see that he didn't scare you again.

Frisk continued on, now unperturbed by the brief scare. They walked through the forest, their footsteps echoing throughout the area. Sometimes, you could have sworn another set of steps accompanied them, but every time they turned around, no one was there. Even though you knew who it was, you had to admit it was creepy.

Finally, they reached the bridge. The short wooden structure spanned a small gap in the ground. Above it stretched the gate built by Papyrus. Honestly, only someone as tall as the skeleton could have trouble getting through. He was such an idiot, but Frisk liked him for whatever reason.

" **Human**." Your blood would have run cold if you had any. At once, you were brought back to the Last Corridor. The pain splattered by bones ripping through your flesh and the agony of feeling your body seared by his blasters flashed through your mind. You could still feel every bone rip through your SOUL and body. Your ethereal body locked up in shock, and your fake breathing hitched. Even Frisk felt your memories rush through them.

Was that fear?

" **Don't you know how to greet a new friend?** " Before anything else could be said, Frisk turned around and grabbed San's bony hand. But between Frisk's hand and his was a rubber sack filled with air. The lewd sound of the whoopie cushion echoed out in the woods, shaking you out of your flashbacks. It was hard to ignore something that stupid. Frisk laughed, apparently still finding the joke funny.

Sans chuckled, the short skeleton reveling in his own joke. He had that perpetual grin on his face too."ah, the old 'whoopie-cushion in the hand' trick. funny every time." Your expression was even emptier than usual. It really wasn't funny. "but hey, how'd you know to shake my hand? I didn't even say… ah, forget it." He placed his hands back in his jacket's pocket, and his grin seemed to grow, even just a little.

"i'm sans, sans the skeleton. i'm out hunting for humans, or at least i'm supposed to be." He shrugged. "actually, i don't really care about that. but my brother? he's a human hunting fanatic."

" _No one asked for your life story._ " Frisk shushed you.

"actually, I think that's him coming right now. here, I have an idea. he built these bars here to catch any human that comes through, but he made 'em too big to actually stop anyone. just walk right through." Sans hurried Frisk through the idiotic trap and into a clearing where his sentry station stood. Even from 30 feet away, you could see how badly maintained it was. Even without a SOUL, that mess still annoyed you.

And of course, the random-ass lamp. You groaned at the sight of it. Who left a lamp in the middle of the woods? Sans obviously, but even he wasn't _that_ weird. "quick, hide behind that conveniently-shaped lamp." Frisk predictably complied, and went to walk behind it. True to Sans' word, it was shaped just perfectly to hide their body from anyone who was to look directly at the lamp. But as for anyone at literally _any_ other angle… you wondered why the hell this was happening.

As if on cue, the much heavier and purposeful steps of Papyrus arrived. From your vantage point, you could see him perfectly. This skeleton was much taller than his— older? younger?— brother, almost twice the height. He lacked the dots of light in his eye sockets as well, so you wondered how he could even see. He wore a ridiculous suit as well, complete with a red cape. What an idiot.

"'sup bro?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT'S 'SUP' BROTHER!" the skeleton practically shouted. You and Frisk both winced at the volume of Papyrus's voice. If this were writing, you were sure he'd be speaking in all capital letters.

" _See, this is why I wanted to kill him, Frisk._ "

"YOU STILL HAVEN'T RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES!" He huffed. "YOU JUST HANG AROUND YOUR STATION." The urge to stab came back full-force. Your hand twitched. "WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!"

"staring at this lamp," Sans replied simply. He gestured to Frisk's hiding place. "it's really cool. do you wanna look?" You sent the fiercest glare you could toward Sans. Everyone in the area knew Papyrus wouldn't actually look. But the fact that he was somehow managing to mess with everyone there was aggravating.

You missed being able to hit stuff.

Papyrus started stomping his foot on the ground, looking like a complete child having a tantrum. "NO! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE! I WANT TO BE READY! i WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE!" Drama queen.

"I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!" Abruptly, his pose changed to that of what he must consider a majestic hero. Even his stupid cape managed to flap in the breeze. In the complete opposite direction of the way the wind was blowing. Even Frisk had to raise an eyebrow at that. "AND THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT, RECOGNITION…. I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! AND THEN, PEOPLE WILL ASK. TO BE. MY. FRIEND!"

You wanted to go over there and stab him right then. What a drama queen AND a loser.

"I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING." Who the hell wanted to do that?

"hm…." Sans replied thoughtfully. "maybe this lamp will help you." Papyrus began to throw a tantrum again. You added "he's a baby" to the list of things you hated about Papyrus.

"SANS! YOU'RE NOT HELPING, YOU LAZYBONES! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE!" Neither you nor Frisk knew what that meant. Or if it was even a word.

Sans' smile seemed to grow wider somehow. You clenched your fist as you realized what was coming. A god damn pun. "oh, that's not true. i do a ton of work. a skele- **ton**." You groaned while Frisk did their best not to laugh. Somehow, you could have sworn you heard a few beats of the drum. From somewhere...

" _I want to kill him. I'm gonna kill him._ "

" _You like it, Chara. Don't lie._ "

"SANS!" Papyrus shrieked. Unfortunately, you were getting used to his tone of voice already. Maybe your eardrums blew out. At least he seemed to hate the puns as much as you did.

"come on, you're smiling," Sans said with that even-more shit-eating grin.

"I AM AND I HATE IT!" He sighed, which was somehow loud too. "WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME, HAVE TO DO SO MUCH TO GET SOME RECOGNITION?" You crossed your arms. He really wasn't that great. He didn't even try to fight you last time.

"wow, sounds like you're really working yourself..." The air grew heavy. Everyone knew what was coming. There was nothing that could be done. The end was near. "... down to the bone." Once again, the drums came again. You buried your face in the snow.

" _WHY!?_ "

"UGH! I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES… AS FOR YOUR WORK… PUT A LITTLE BACKBONE INTO IT! NYEH HEH HEH!" You were too busy screaming into the ground to see or hear him leave.


	5. The Petting to Pierce the Heavens

" _Okay, that's it, I'm taking over."_

" _Chara, no! Don't!"_ Frisk struggles against you, but it's fruitless. Your determination was too strong. This had gone on long enough. Frisk's consciousness was forced out, taking the form of a ghost just like you. You flexed your fingers, getting used to having a body again. Finally. It was time to end this.

You pressed your hand to the appropriate button. It was over.

" **Lesser Dog was spared.** " Frisk took back their body and pouted as the battle faded around the two of you. The white dog, its neck now back to a normal length, bounded off. Probably to do something else stupid.

" _Come on, Chara! I was having fun,_ " they whined.

" _Petting a dog so much its head pierces the stratosphere, arcs back down, and disappears into the eternal void is not fun!_ " You crossed your arms. " _And I was out of ways to describe what was happening._ "

Frisk huffed, their breath turning to mist in the cold air. You were both reminded of your desire to get out of the snow soon. It was colder than hell out there.

" _I thought hell was on fire._ "

" _Get out of my head._ "

" _It's our head._ "

" _Shut it._ " Frisk began to dig in the snow, glad for the **Tough Glove** they wore. It kept out some of the snow and cold as they looked for the switch hidden beneath it. You shivered just from watching it.

Eventually, though, Frisk found flipped it. You heard a click echo in the distance. " _That's our cue, let's go._ "

Frisk didn't move. You raised an eyebrow. " _Frisk? Hey, wake up! I don't want to RESET because you decided to get frostbite._ " They still didn't respond. " _FRISK!_ "

A grin came onto their face as they spoke aloud. Or rather, sang. "Hey, Chara? Do you wanna build a snowman?" You groaned loudly enough that Lesser Dog could have heard you from the bottom of the void.

* * *

" _Stop singing Frozen songs, damn it! And stop spending twenty minutes playing with the dog guards._ " You shouted. Frisk ignored you and kept singing both parts of a duet. " _Why did I get stuck with you, of all people?_ " At least they ignored your slip up in swearing.

For the last hour, Frisk had been wandering about the forests around Snowdin, singing those god-forsaken songs. You hadn't even seen the movie before, but anyone would hate the songs after hearing them for a straight hour every time they went through a snowy place. Frisk's singing even went over the natural music that played from… somewhere. You still weren't sure.

But finally, the thin, wooden bridge came into view. Relief overcame your senses. They always stopped when other people were around. Your hell was over. Well, mostly. Sans was coming up again.

Just as expected, Frisk stopped singing, fading to a quiet hum. Better, but not perfect. They stepped onto the bridge. It swayed from the sudden weight placed on it. The wooden structure was thin, and stretched over a deep abyss like in the movies. It didn't look sturdy at all, but at least it wasn't falling apart. You wondered what would happen if Papyrus actually used his ultimate "puzzle" on you while you were on it. Thankfully, you'd never have to learn.

ANd speaking of Papyrus, he soon came into view with his brother. They stood at the other end of the bridge. Papyrus looked quite confident in himself, grinning… ear-hole to ear-hole? And Sans? Well he looked just as stupid as ever. Everything as normal.

"HUMAN!" Papyrus shouted. You winced from the sound. Where was the volume button when you needed it? "THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE! BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!" He gestured dramatically toward the bridge, and the weapons descended.

Below you sat a flamethrower, spewing deadly fire, ready to blast outward and sear the very flesh from your bones. Next to it was a shining spear, aimed straight at your chest. Behind that was a canon, primed to fire a deadly metal ball. Above was a spiked flail, its chain swinging menacingly. Behind it was another spear, primed and ready to shoot. And finally,

Annoying Dog. Hanging from a rope.

" _No matter how many times we go through this_ ", you muttered, " _I still find myself surprised that this idiot thinks Annoying Dog is a weapon of destruction. To nerves, yes. Body, no._ "

Frisk, however, feigned surprise and fear at the sight. They looked around, eyes wide with surprise. But twinkling within them was a SOUL full of determination.

"WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE," Papyrus exclaimed. "CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE!" He gestured wildly, which you guessed was his attempt to demonstrate what would happen visually. He just looked like a high guy at a rave. "ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN! ARE YOU READY?" Frisk began the stare down, ready to run.

Nothing happened.

"BECAUSE!" Still nothing. "I" The wind proclaimed the emptiness of action. "AM" Any day now. "ABOUT TO DO IT!" And yet, still nothing. Someone would have gotten five dollars from betting on that.

"well, what's the holdup?" Sans asked, grinning.

"HOLDUP? WHAT HOLDUP?" Papyrus asked, aghast. Talk about stalling for time. Like Mom wanted you to do. "I'M… ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT NOW!" The days passed in silence.

" **You grow a beard. Your wife sits at home, staring out of the window, wistfully wondering when you will return from the war.** " Hey, a person's gotta keep themselves busy somehow.

"that, uh, doesn't look very activated," Sans muttered.

Papyrus nervously rubbed the back of his skull. "WELL! THIS CHALLENGE IS…. TOO EASY! YEAH, THERE'S NO CHALLENGE IN BEATING THE HUMAN THIS WAY!" You sighed. Idiots always find a way to justify themselves. "I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! MY PUZZLES ARE VERY FAIR. AND MY TRAPS ARE EXPERTLY COOKED!"

" _Yeah, if you like radioactive garbage._ "

"BUT THIS METHOD IS TOO DIRECT! NO CLASS AT ALL! AWAY IT GOES." With a wave of his bony hand, the weapons returned to their original positions. Wherever that was. You wondered if Annoying Dog had trouble escaping from it. Papyrus sighed with relief, apparently thinking no one heard. But considering his sighs were as loud as his normal speech, it was a lost effort. Dumbass.

Frisk stared, even they weren't able to hide their slight disappointment. "WHAT? THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS!"

" _Has this idiot ever won anything between us? Or with anyone?_ " Frisk ignored you.

"NYEH HEH… HEH?" And with that awkward laugh, Papyrus turned around and quickly marched away, allowing Frisk to continue ahead.

"heh, thanks for keeping my brother entertained," Sans said. "he's cool when he's having fun, isn't he?" For a moment, his grin seemed to fade a bit. "i don't know what he's going to do next, but just in case, make sure you understand blue attacks. remember, blue stop signs!"

Fucking bullshit.

" _Swear jar._ "

" _Shut the hell up._ "

" _Your total debt is now $376.46._ "

" _THAT'S A LIE AND YOU KNOW IT!_ " You shouted.


	6. Battle Against A True Numbskull

Clear, sparkling, snow quickly fades to a dense mist hanging by the river. It was strange seeing Snowdin full of monsters again. That monster kid without any arms was pretty much the only one who was still in the same place. Despite the freezing cold, you could almost feel the warmth coming from the town. Or rather, Frisk could. You simply averted your eyes from the weird niceness until it was over.

But now, standing by the river, it brings back a flood of memories you'd rather forget. For some reason, you never thought about the past while going through the Underground before. Something always got your mind off of it. But this time, you couldn't help but shiver as you looked down at the flowing river. The memory of that day flashed through your head. " _Things really would have been different if I had just gone through with it…."_

" _Did you say something?"_ Frisk asks suddenly. You gasp but quickly regain your old composure. You really slipped up there. Was that a hint of emotion or just some sort of carry-over from Frisk? Hell if you knew.

" _I'm fine. Just fight the skeleton and get it over with._ " Frisk shrugged and continued along. As you were dragged along by some cosmic force, you couldn't help but continue to stare at the river.

"HUMAN!" Papyrus' voice rang out over the silence of the falling snow. Just ahead, you could see his silhouette in the fog. Frisk stopped in place, a small smile on their face. Though only you could see that. "ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS." You groaned. You could tell this was going to be stupid. "FEELINGS LIKE THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER. THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER'S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS. THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL." Yep, just as dumb as you thought.

"THESE FEELINGS. THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!" Your eyes went wide with surprise. " _He actually thinks no, he fully believes… that_ he's _the cool one here?!_ " You exclaimed. That will not stand. " _Kick his bony ass, Frisk. Show 'em who's boss!_ "

" _I don't think he has a butt, Chara._ "

" _So?_ "

"I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY," Papyrus continues. "AFTER ALL, I AM GREAT! I DON'T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE."

You roll your eyes. " _Keep telling yourself that, buddy._ "

"I PITY YOU, LONELY HUMAN. BUT WORRY NOT!" You blinked. How did he say that so enthusiastically that three exclamation points appeared? Wait, how could you tell? "YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER!"

You started to tune him out. It got easy after listening to him scream for a total of 5 hours. This run. " _Get to the good part already. No one wants to hear your pointless monologue._ "

Finally, your prayers were answered. You felt a familiar tug on Frisk's SOUL and the world around you flashed into the black void. The battle had begun.

At once, Papyrus' theme song began to play. Its upbeat tune echoes in your head. Even you had to admit it was pretty catchy.

" **Papyrus blocks the way!** " You announce. Though that was pretty self-explanatory. The tall skeleton stood before you in all his bony glory. His scarf blew majestically in the non-existent breeze. He looked utterly ridiculous.

Frisk takes the first turn, predictably pressing their hand to the ACT button. As usual. You start to list off what their options are.

" _Alright, so it's Papyrus, so you can Check or Insult him. Either one'll probably do something,_ " You say with a shrug. Whenever Frisk fought this guy, you never actually paid much attention.

" _I'm gonna flirt with him._ "

" _Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just get on with i-_ " What they just said finally sunk into your brain, leaving you dumbstruck. " _You're gonna flirt… with HIM? No!_ "

" _Too late!_ " Frisk started to giggle, and unleashed their ultimate attack. "Hey, Papyrus. I must be a snowflake, because I've fallen for you."

The skeleton gasped in surprise. You groaned in disgust. First the frogs, then Toriel, possibly _Jerry_ , of all people, and now Papyrus? Frisk was a serial flirter and needed to be stopped in your opinion. "WHAT! FL-FLIRTING!? SO YOU FINALLY ADMIT YOUR ULTIMATE FEELINGS!" You weren't sure, but you could have sworn you saw his cheekbones light up red with a blush. It was weird. "W-WELL I'M A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS."

"I have zero redeeming qualities and I can make spaghetti," Frisk offers.

He gasped even louder than before, eyes that suddenly appeared bulging out of his head. "OH NO! YOU'RE MEETING ALL OF MY STANDARDS!"

" _I was wrong,"_ you deadpanned. " _This battle somehow managed to get weirder than it ever was before._ " You were pretty sure you owed someone five bucks. Probably yourself.

"I GUESS THIS MEANS I HAVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU…?" He suddenly shook his head, rejecting the idea. "LET'S DATE L-LATER! AFTER I CAPTURE YOU!" You personally never wanted it to happen, but apparently no one cared what you thought. But with that, it was finally time for the fight to begin. At least this would be entertaining in a weird sort of way. You wished you could conjure up some popcorn.

With a wave of his hand, Papyrus sent a wave of bones flying across the area. Far below you. Frisk merely stared down at them as they traveled out of sight. Even they looked disappointed as they stared at Papyrus again. The skeleton's confidence didn't fade in the slightest. Almost like that was supposed to happen, like it was all part of his master plan.

Everyone here knew that the only thing Papyrus could plan ever out was how to kill someone with deadly spaghetti.

It was Frisk's turn again. Predictably, they chose MERCY. Papyrus looked surprised. Of course he would.

"SO YOU WON'T FIGHT? NYEH HEH HEH!" he cackled. "THEN LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED BLUE ATTACK!"

Papyrus raised his hand again, but this time it glowed with a cyan aura. Frisk looked to the side to see a wall of bones the same color racing toward them. They froze in place and stood as still as a hyperactive kid like them could. The bones shot through them like they didn't even exist. You shared in the strange feeling. It felt like they ripped through you without the pain. You felt a twinge of annoyance toward Sans again. This was the only part his dumb "blue stop signs" advice ever came in handy.

Finally, the cyan bones stopped coming. And you felt a familiar sensation in Frisk's SOUL. It was like you were shocked after sticking a fork in an outlet. Your vision blurred for half a second as the shift overtook you.

* * *

"...survive **this** , and i'll show you my special attack." You froze in shock. A short skeleton stood before you, a terrifying grin on his face. His eye-sockets were blank with sadistic rage. Sans? What was he doing here?

No, what were you doing there? In you hand was the knife, gripped so tightly your knuckles had turned white. Your body was covered in a cold sweat. Every muscle shook with stress and fear. And yet, you still wore that smile on your face. You couldn't wipe it off. But you didn't have to. Soon, you attention was on other things.

Sans threw his hand downward, and your SOUL was painfully shocked in that same instant. A blue glow filled the black space. You shot to the ground, slamming painfully into it. Instinct kicked in and you jumped to your feet. Just below you, bones tore up from the ground. Sans threw his arm to the side. You followed, gravity shifting disorientingly. Once again, you jumped just in time to avoid bones tearing into your flesh. He threw you around ever more vigorously, tossing you like a rag doll. You narrowly avoided all of his attacks. And then, it changed.

You were shocked again, and your SOUL became red. You were given no respite before two long rows of bones began to dash toward you in opposite directions. You were forced to circle between them, nearly getting cleaved in two multiple times. And then another shock.

You were thrown once again into an invisible surface, but before you could jump, were thrown again. Sans quickly disappeared from view, his grin growing ever wider. You had no time to think. It was time to dodge.

You fell for what felt like forever, when bones started to appear. You angled yourself to fall between them, space just narrow enough to not hit you directly in the SOUL. Bones ripped into your skin, creating deep cuts. You were sure you could see your own white internal structure if you looked now. The pain was blinding. But one thought pervaded every other: KILL SANS. You could see him every now and again, appearing in front of you as soon as he disappeared with a smug grin. You hated him. You wanted him dead.

You finally slammed into a wall. You jumped. Bones ripped into the soles of your shoes.

* * *

"BEHOLD…! MY SPECIAL ATTACK!" You snapped back into reality with a startled gasp. The pain was gone in an instant, but you could still feel the cuts deep in your skin. You were back with Frisk and Papyrus. The skeleton looked worn out, almost as much as Sans. You felt sick. _What… was that…?_ You knew for a fact that you had never fought Sans long enough to get there. He never mentioned his special attack. So why had you come close to seeing it?

" _Chara! You're back!_ " You both ignored Papyrus' screaming at the dog that was currently nomming on his special attack. You'd seen it many times already. " _You froze up for like, five minutes!_ "

" _I… what?_ " You could barely speak. You were still shaking.

" _You don't seem okay…._ " Frisk replied. " _I'll try to finish this up fast, okay?_ "

You finally found your voice. " _D-don't worry about me, stupid! I'm just a ghost, remember? I'm fine!_ " But both of you knew you weren't.

Papyrus sighed loudly, bringing the attention back to him. "HERE'S AN ABSOLUTELY NORMAL ATTACK THEN." He looked completely downtrodden and annoyed, despite his weariness. But still determined to keep on fighting.

Though this was far from an absolutely normal attack.

From left and right, Papyrus threw bones at Frisk. They jumped over giant bones, their feet just barely going over. They leaped through gaps in the white material, twisting to not hit their head. But that was just the beginning. Soon, the attacks grew more elaborate. He sent them in groups of three then. Each one taller than the last. Frisk barely had time to clear each one with their strongest jump. Their legs were starting to grow tired.

Another group of bones came, but with shifting sizes. They rose and fell in a pattern. Frisk had to run to the side and wait for the perfect moment. As they jumped, a bone struck their foot. The following flash of pain spread to you as well. But it was nothing compared to Sans.

Next, the attacks became even more elaborate. Patterns of bones that rose and fell came again. Only this time they shifted above and below you. Frisk timed their jumps to fit through the narrow openings, and even over Annoying Dog, but even their best efforts garnered some injuries. By the end of it, you had 10 HP left. You grimaced. You really didn't want to lose to _Papyrus._

" _Ugh, step aside,_ " you mumbled. " _I could do a way better job of dodging this idiot's attacks._ " You knew there was still one coming.

" _Whatever you say,_ " Frisk said with a snicker. You realized with a start that you were suddenly in control again. It was jarring switching viewpoints like that. How was Frisk even able to do that? But you didn't have a chance to think about it. In the next second, a gigantic wall of bones was coming for you. You bent down, ready to jump. When the time came, you leapt up with all of your strength.

Your legs dangled as you flew in the empty air. Below you was Papyrus' gigantic attack of bones. You knew that normally, your jump would never be able to carry you high or far enough to clear this attack. Especially with the positively gigantic bone coming up. But strangely enough, you were somehow lighter than ever. You sailed over, just barely clearing the bone. You touched down to the ground lightly, grinning to yourself.

" _See, not a scratch,_ " you said cockily.

Papyrus stood there, shaking slightly. His breathing came out in rough gasps. He was exhausted after that. "WELL...! 'HUFF' IT'S CLEAR... YOU CAN'T! 'HUFF' DEFEAT ME!" He was litterally saying 'huff' every time. How stupid.

"YEAH! I CAN SEE YOU SHAKING IN YOUR BOOTS! THEREFORE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ELECT TO GRANT YOU PITY! I WILL SPARE YOU, HUMAN! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO ACCEPT MY MERCY."

You saw your options appear in front of you. Prior experience made you reach for FIGHT. Frisk didn't stop you. Your hand hovered over the button. It was a hard habit to break. And Papyrus was worth a lot of EXP. Your hand shook.

" _W-WELL, THAT'S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED... BUT... ST... STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER! EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK SO! I... I PROMISE…"_

You roughly shoved yourself out of control, and back to an invisible ghost. Your heart was beating painfully fast. Frisk gave you a worried look, which was hard to see since they rarely strayed far from that neutral expression. You shook your head and glared. " _J-just spare him already! Before I kill 'im._ "

But somehow, you knew you wouldn't be able to.

* * *

 **So sorry about holding out on this chapter for so long. I'm still alive, don't worry. School and procrastination just took over. T-T**


	7. Welcome to the B0ne Z0ne

You'd never been to Papyrus and Sans' house before. Even you had to admit, it looked pretty nice. From where you were standing at least. The house was actually pretty large with two full floors. Somehow you doubted either of the skeletons had a hand in building their own house though. It looked too normal. Neither of them were capable of doing that. Papyrus was too weird and Sans… wouldn't even lift a finger to help. Though knowing what he was capable of doing to you, maybe he wouldn't even have to move to build a whole house. Gravity powers were probably really useful for someone as lazy as Sans.

"AH, HUMAN! YOU ARE HERE FOR OUR DATE, RIGHT?" Papyrus asked as Frisk walked up to him. You winced. You still weren't used to his loudness. It was like he was shouting and talking normally at the same time. You wondered if there was a way to stop him from doing that. Well, besides killing him. Frisk wasn't going to let you.

They nodded, and Papyrus' face lit up. Or at least you were pretty sure. Even as expressive as he was, you doubted a skeleton could really make some expressions. But the feeling got across. "ALRIGHT THEN! NOW I WILL TAKE YOU SOMEWHERE SPECIAL FOR OUR DATE. HMM…. AHA! I KNOW JUST THE PLACE!" And at once, he was off. You and Frisk were both startled by him bolting off like that, but Frisk was quickly chasing after skeleton. You got dragged along of course. With a body that was shorter than his legs, they had a hard time keeping up as Papyrus trudged through the snow. They almost fell a few times.

After a few moments, you were pretty sure you knew where Papyrus was headed: Grillby's. It was the only interesting place in town as far as you knew. The library and Inn were the only other places of interest. The Snowed Inn got boring after 13 seconds and the library had like, one 2 page essay from a school per shelf. Snowdin was boring these days. But at least Grillby's had food. As far as you knew. You and Frisk had never stayed long.

However, Papyrus turned on his heels halfway there and started walk-running in the opposite direction. This threw you off completely, and you stared in confusion as he raced back toward his own home.

" _I say we ditch him._ " You suggested.

" _We're on a date, Chara. Don't be rude,_ " Frisk replied as they chased after him. You got the feeling they were having fun already. For whatever reason. You could only get the faint feeling, not the reason. _Whatever. It's not like either of them make sense._

"HERE WE ARE!" Papyrus announced. "THE MOST SPECIAL PLACE I COULD THINK OF." You were once again standing at the front door of the skeleton brothers' house. Papyrus held the door open as Frisk waltzed inside.

" _This is stupid in every conceivable way,_ " you muttered darkly. And then, you were yanked along by some cruel force that wanted to punish you for some reason.

* * *

An annoying music filled your head as you entered the room. It reminded you of Sans, obviously. It was his house after all. And the inside definitely showed it. Along with the odd tune, there was a ton of random stuff about. You decided to let Frisk do their thing and look around, and Papyrus seemed to be doing the same as he stood off by the far wall near the stairs.

The first thing Frisk went to was the rock on the table. " _Are those… sprinkles?_ " You asked, filled with confusion. Frisk poked at it. Nothing happend. " _No really! Why is this rock just covered in sprinkles?_ "

"AH, I SEE YOU'VE FOUND SANS' PET ROCK. HE ALWAYS NEGLECTS IT, SO IT FALLS TO ME, PAPYRUS, TO TAKE CARE OF IT."

" _Why. Is. It. Covered. In. Sprinkles!?_ " You shouted, punctuating every word with a swing of your arms. " _This is not proper pet rock feeding!_ "

Next came the stand by the couch. There was a heavy-looking book laying on top of it. The cover read "Quantum Physics for Dummies and Lazy People." It obviously wasn't Papyrus', even if he did fit the intended audience.

Frisk opened it up before you could stop them. But instead of pages of text, you saw all of the pages were hollowed out. In their place, a joke book. Both of you narrowed your eyes. Frisk opened that book. Inside was a quantum physics book, in a similar hollowed crevasse.

" _He's defacing perfectly good books,_ " you muttered darkly. Once again, they opened the quantum physics book. As expected, there was a joke book waiting within. You and Frisk both decided it was time to stop.

" _I never knew puns could be so… meta…._ " Frisk said bewildered. Since when did they know how to use "meta"?

They didn't walk far before discovering the next area of interest: the couch. Frankly, you didn't want to go anywhere near it. It was a gross shade of green, and looked like it had been through its fair share of various stains. It even smelled weird. But never one to question anything, Frisk plunged their hand straight between the cushions. You felt sickened just seeing it. " _Frisk what the he-_ "

" _I found 30 gold._ "

You went silent as they pulled out 3 large gold coins. " _The world just adjusts itself to fit your weirdness, doesn't it?_ " you asked after a moment.

Frisk grinned. " _Yeah, probably."_

Next (unfortunately, as far as you were concerned), Frisk found a sock, just lying on the ground near the TV. It was covered in post-it notes. You didn't have to read more than the first few containing back and forth bantering to know what they were all about. Why was Sans such an ass?

Finally, it was off to the kitchen. Frisk wanted to check out the fridge first, but you already knew what was in there: an ungodly amount of poison spaghetti. Papyrus' hunger was insatiable when it came to that stuff. Could he even eat it? Probably not. Either way, you were more interested in the impossibly large sink before you. And not large as in wide. Large as in much taller than even Asgore would need. How was anyone supposed to wash their hands in that?

"ARE YOU IMPRESSED BY MY BUILDING PROWESS, HUMAN?" Papyrus said from behind Frisk. You jumped in surprise. You hadn't even noticed him come up behind you! Why were monsters so stealthy? It was creepy. "I MADE IT SUPER TALL SO I'D HAVE MORE ROOM TO HIDE MY BONES." And as if on cue, the cabinet swung open. All three of you turned in surprise. Underneath the sink was an almost completely empty space. All that remained was a single white dog chewing on a bone.

Realization came over everyone in the room at once. Papyrus shouted, Annoying Dog's eyes went wide, and Frisk stepped out of the way. "YOU STUPID DOG! STOP STEALING MY BONES!"

At once, Annoying Dog fled the room, still gnawing on his stolen bone. It shot past Frisk and yourself before running around Papyrus and out the door.

The room went silent for a few seconds as everyone processed what had just happened. You were technically the one to break it. " _Was that door open the whole time?_ "

"~ _ **Doot doot doooooot~**_ " you suddenly heard. The unmistakable sound of that weird slidey trumpet thing whose name you could never remember. And yet, you and Papyrus knew exactly who was playing such a thing in such a mocking tone.

"SANS!" Papyrus shouted. "STOP PLAGUING MY LIFE WITH INCIDENTAL MUSIC!"

" _The story of my life…._ " you muttered darkly.

"OKAY," Papyrus suddenly said, his loud voice suddenly shocking you out of your annoyance. He sure switched gears fast. "ARE YOU READY TO GO INTO MY ROOM AND…" You gasped in shock. His expression was not unlike that of an anime school-girl saying something she wasn't supposed to. He even covered most of his facial bones. "... DO WHATEVER IT IS PEOPLE ON DATES DO IN THEIR ROOMS?"

Your expression was deadpan. You were a kid, and yet you were the only one who knew exactly what happens on dates. And that this was the dumbest thing that had ever happened in the history of forever. " _Since when did I become the adult here?_ " You groaned.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry this took so long to write guys. I had the motivation but no inspiration. I just couldn't type this until a few days ago. Really, I'm sorry. Writer's block just hit me hard. But on a lighter note, I'll almost definitely be back to updating semi-regularly from now on. Until next time!**


	8. The B0ne Z0ne 2: Dating Start!

" _I want a race-car bed..._ " you whispered softly as you stood over Papyrus' bed. " _So cool..._ "

" _Did you say something, Chara?_ " Frisk asked. You quickly righted yourself and tore your gaze away from the bed. If you could, you probably would have been blushing by then. Lucky you.

" _Oh, nothing,"_ you quickly replied. " _I was just saying how… um, uncool his bed was. Yeah, that._ " You were the master of quick saves in your opinion.

Frisk seemed to accept your answer (thank God) and went to oddly investigate everything in Papyrus' room, like some sort of video game character obsessively checking things for free stuff. But they were just like that. You begrudgingly admitted that you liked Papyrus' room. He obviously kept it neat, and there was a lot of cool stuff in it. Like his aforementioned bed, and the pirate flag he had hanging up on his wall. Not to mention the action fgures on his table. You wanted to play with them. They obviously weren't in mint condition, so playing with them was perfectly fine in your opinion.

But then, finally, it was time to truly begin the date. "SO, UM… IF YOU'VE FINALLY SEEN EVERYTHING," Papyrus began awkwardly. Was he nervous? On a fake date with a kid? What a dork. Even his eyebrows (or whatever those were) were furrowed. "DO YOU WANT TO BEGIN THE DATE?"

" _Oh man, I can't wait to see this trainwreck,_ " You said, holding back laughter. Frisk nodded, and the date began.

"OKAY! DATING START!"

" _What kind of bull-"_

Suddenly, you felt Frisk's SOUL being called out, and the world around you flashed to black. You both tensed. What was he doing, starting a battle like that! But then, you realized something was wrong. There was no latent magic floating about besides that used to call out Frisk's SOUL. This was not a fight. So was it… the date?

Before you, the words "Dating Start" appeared. This really was a date. You had never realized how intense dating was. It was never like this in that Otome game you found in the dump once. Well, Toriel always said video games were a bad example of real life.

"WELL, HERE WE ARE! ON A DATE! THIS IS… GREAT!" Papyrus stood before you, grinning like an idiot. And suddenly, it occurred to you.

" _Frisk, we have a problem!_ " You shouted. They flinched from the sudden noise. Fortunately, Papyrus didn't seem to notice. He had pulled out a book for some reason. " _We're doing this all wrong! We didn't bring a present that he'd like! We can't raise his affection stat enough without one!_ "

A stupid grin came over their face. " _Wait a minute… Do you care?_ "

You flinched, taken aback. " _Wh-what? No! I just think that if we're going on a date, we might as well do it right…"_

"STEP ONE… PRESS THE ( c ) KEY ON YOUR KEYBOARD FOR THE DATING HUD." Papyrus announced. You blinked, not even caring that he was making a face like a giddy school-girl.

" _Did he just say what I think he said…?"_ You muttered in disbelief. " _And here I thought this wasn't an otome..._ " Frisk ignored you and made an odd gesture. All of a sudden, a variety of things appeared in your vision. Above Papyrus was a sun icon, with the letters "MON" next to it. On the left of that was a weird-looking bar titled "Reel it in!" A population graph was below that, with randomly spiking lines, and an egg aptly titled "Egg" below that. On the other side was a radar with a picture of Annoying Dog appearing in random places, and a… Crime scene investigation?

" _I know I say this a lot, but this is the dumbest thing I've ever seen,_ " you said, dumbfounded.

Papyrus looked absolutely giddy, clapping his hands over his… lower skull. "WOWIE! I FEEL SO INFORMED!"

" _About what?_ "

"I THINK WE'RE READY FOR STEP TWO!" He pulled out that weird looking book again. It looked suspiciously like a video game guidebook now that you had a good look at it. One that was pink and covered in pictures of overdone shojou-style boys. "STEP TWO, ASK THEM ON A DATE." He read.

He put it down, and turned to Frisk with the most confident pose he could muster. "HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS… WILL GO ON A DATE WITH YOU!"

" _Is that his idea of asking?_ " You grumbled. " _We deserve to be treated with much more respect! Like proper dates._ " Frisk ignored you and nodded. " _I would dump you if I could._ "

Papyrus suddenly gained the most anime-expression you could ever imagine of a skeleton. His eyes became reflective and filled with color. His cheeks… blushed somehow. It was weird. "YOU WILL!? WOWIE! I GUESS THAT MEANS IT'S TIME FOR PART THREE!" Once again, it was time for the strategy guide.

"STEP THREE… PUT ON NICE CLOTHES TO SHOW YOU CARE!" Suddenly, he paused, the atmosphere shifting as he squinted at Frisk. Now what? He put the hand holding the book down at his waist, shifting his weight. "WAIT A SECOND… WEAR CLOTHING… THAT RIBBON IN YOUR HAIR… YOUR STRIPED SHIRT… THOSE PANTS…" He gasped in surprise. Somehow. "YOU'RE WEARING CLOTHING RIGHT NOW!"

You facepalmed so hard, your hand went through your face. (It was as weird as it sounded). You wanted nothing more than to shout "Yes, that's something normal people do, dumbass," but you already owed enough cash to the swear jar. You didn't know if Frisk would hold you to it, and didn't want to risk it.

"NOT ONLY THAT…" Papyrus said in deep thought. And then, another gasp pierced the air. "YOU WERE WEARING CLOTHING BEFORE TOO!"

" _Is it too early to dump him?_ "

"HAVE YOU BEEN PLANNING THIS DATE FROM THE START?!" Papyrus asked in disbelief. Frisk shrugged and nodded.

" _Don't play into his ego,_ " you warned them. " _You've seen what it's done to Sans. Papyrus must have taken their collective self-esteem._ "

Suddenly, the scene shifted again. Papyrus cringed as if he had been struck. His now-existent eyes bulged out of their sockets. " _What the fu-_ " Frisk glared at you. " _-udge?_ "

The dating HUD disappeared completely. It was just the three of you. "NO! YOU PLANNED IT ALL FROM THE BEGINNING! YOU'RE WAY BETTER AT DATING THAN ME! YOUR _DATING POWER...!_ "

Suddenly, another bar appeared on the screen above Papyrus. It read Dating Power in big white letters, and a blue sliver appeared from the left side. But it quickly grew, as Papyrus flinched as if he'd been attacked again. The music's tempo increased tenfold. The tension in the air rose. The blue spread across the bar until it was halfway full. But then it stopped, accompanied by Papyrus' confident laughter.

" _What is happening!_ " You shouted.

"DON'T THINK YOU'VE BESTED ME YET!" Another line graph appeared. This one graphed the tension. It was rising steadily. Sweat was pouring from Papyrus' brow. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE NEVER BEEN BEATEN AT DATING, AND I NEVER WILL. FOR YOU SEE, I TOO CAN WEAR CLOTHES! IN FACT, I ALWAYS WEAR MY SPECIAL CLOTHING UNDERNEATH MY REGULAR CLOTHES! BEHOLD!"

The skeleton slid out of sight without moving a muscle. And in a moment, upon returning, he was now wearing something entirely different than his "battle body." He now had on a t-shirt with the words "cool dude" on them. His sleeves were accented by actual tiny basketballs. Were they why his shoulders were so big? He also had on basketball shorts that showed off his bones, and gym shoes. Where was he hiding all of this!?

"NYEH! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY SECRET STYLE?" Papyrus said confidently.

Frisk gave him a quick thumbs up with a smile. Papyrus gasped again, his eyes once again appearing. "NO! AN HONEST COMPLIMENT!" He recoiled in shock again, taking a hit from Frisk's Date Power as the bar increased.

But then, he paused. The music changed yet again. All went silent. "HOWEVER, YOU DON'T TRULY UNDERSTAND THE HIDDEN POWER OF THIS OUTFIT." He dramatically pointed his finger toward Frisk and shouted, "THEREFORE, WHAT YOU JUST SAID IS INVALID! THIS DATE WILL NOT INCREASE ANY FURTHER!" The music changed to a track more serious. This was where it all really began.

" _Is this Ace Attourney now?_ " An image of Sans being the judge, Frisk the Defendant, and Undyne the Prosecution popped into your head. Not a good day in your opinion. Especially since Frisk wouldn't say much, even in a trial. The thought of being on their side in a debate sent shivers down your spine.

"THAT IS, UNLESS YOU FIND MY SECRET!"

" _It's his hat,_ " you said instantly, expression blank with annoyance. Your eyes had immediately gone to the cap on his head.

" _How do you know?_ "

You eyed the read streaks heading down from his skull. " _Trust me. It's there."_

Frisk pointed. Papyrus squinted as an image of their SOUL appeared over his hat. "MY HAT? NYEH HEH HEH!" The baseball cap suddenly rose from his head, revealing a beautifully-wrapped present lodged in the skeleton's skull. You stared with great concern for his sanity. Especially since the present was literally leaking a red substance from its soggy sides. You knew exactly what it was. Disgusting.

"WELL THEN, YOU FOUND MY SECRET." Papyrus grinned. "I SUPPOSE I HAVE NO CHOICE THEN. THIS IS A PRESENT! J-JUST FOR YOU!" He was blushing again. He didn't even have any blood! How could he blush!?

" _I told you we needed a present,_ " you muttered, crossing your arms.

Papyrus opened the box. Inside was exactly what you expected. A plate of spaghetti. It looked… normal. But you knew from experience, oh so much experience, that it contained the worst poisons known to life. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?" Frisk shook their head, trying their best to keep from grimacing. Maybe they thought this would give them more time to prepare. You were glad you weren't in control. Frisk made their bed, now that had to lie in it. The music stopped.

"NYEH HEH HEH! THAT'S RIGHT! YOU HAVE NO IDEA!" His confidence was back full force. It practically emanated from his entire being, blindingly so. "THOUGH THIS APPEARS TO BE SPAGHETTI..."

" _It isn't?_ " You muttered incredulously. And suddenly, the music and Date Power returned full-force. The sound of dating pounded through Frisk's SOUL, bringing their emotions right into the moment. This was it, the finale.

"THIS AIN'T ANY PLAIN OL' PASTA! THIS IS AN ARTISAN'S WORK! SILKEN NOODLES, FINELY AGED IN AN OAKEN CASK! THEN COOKED BY ME, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS!" Chef seemed like a bit of a stretch to you.

"HUMAN, IT'S TIME TO END THIS! THERE'S NO WAY THIS CAN GO ANY FURTHER!" This was the end. There was no conceivable way to win this. Papyrus would be the winner of this date.

You clenched a fist. " _No. We're not giving up just yet!_ " There had to be a way. Your heart pounded as you looked around. There had to be something you could do to end this, once and for all. You were the master of Otome games. You wouldn't, no, couldn't, lose to Papyrus!

And then, you realized. The only way to end this was to…

" _I'm gonna eat it._ "

Frisk held in their gasp of horror. " _Chara! No!_ "

" _It's the only way. I must._ " You wrested control from Frisk. Papyrus looked on in surprise as you reached out with your SOUL and took the plate of pasta. The fork was already embedded in the sickening pile of noodles and sauce. It looked so… okay. How bad could it be?

With reckless abandon, you picked up a chunk of the noodles and sauce, and shoved the pile in your mouth before you could chicken out. What followed was possibly the worst taste you had ever experienced. Your face immediately contorted into an expression that you had never thought possible. It was like you had just shoved a skunk's butt into your mouth. The noodles were bitter somehow; not to mention burned and undercooked at the same time. Sometimes in the same noodle. The sauce tasted sour, and you wanted to throw the plate to the ground.

"THAT EXPRESSION…" Papyrus said. Inwardly, you wanted to pound your fist on the ground. You had failed to pretend to like his food. It was over. Papyrus won. Papyrus… of all the people to beat you.

"WHAT IMMENSE, RAW PASSION!" You looked up from your hunched over position. The skeleton wore the biggest smile you'd ever seen on that face. "YOU MUST REALLY LIKE MY COOKING!" He gasped. "AND BY EXTENSION, ME!"

He screamed in surprise as the meter rose further and further. His eyes bulged outward again. The screen was going white. And suddenly, your dating power literally broke through the meter itself, racing across the area in a blinding flash. "NOOOOOOO!" And then, everything went white.

"HUMAN. IT'S CLEAR NOW. YOU'RE MADLY IN LOVE WITH ME. EVERYTHING YOU DO. EVERYTHING YOU SAY. IT'S ALL FOR ME. I… I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY TOO. IT'S TIME FOR ME TO EXPRESS MY FEELINGS. IT'S TIME THAT I TOLD YOU. I… PAPYRUS..."

And suddenly, vision returned. Everything was back to normal. Papyrs stood before you, staring at the ground. "I… um... " he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "BOY, IS IT HOT IN HERE? OR IS IT JUST ME?" A bead of sweat dripped down his face as he went silent. "OH SHOOT. HUMAN, I… I'M SORRY. I DON'T LIKE YOU THE WAY YOU LIKE ME. ROMANTICALLY, I MEAN."

Frisk was taken aback, unable to resist gasping lightly. Even you couldn't tell if they were serious, or their shock was once again for Papyrus' sake.

"I MEAN, I TRIED VERY HARD TO!" he insisted. "BUT ALAS, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE FAILED. I FEEL JUST THE SAME AS BEFORE. AND INSTEAD, BY DATING YOU, I HAVE DRAGGED YOU DEEPER INTO THIS ETERNAL PIT OF PASSION FOR ME."

" _That's a bit of a stretch..._ "

"HOW COULD I HAVE DONE THIS TO MY DEAR FRIEND?" He paused, and suddenly seemed to realize something. "NO WAIT, THAT'S WRONG! I CAN'T FAIL AT ANYTHING!"

" _Here we go again._ "

" _Weren't you the one who ate his poison pasta because you couldn't afford to lose?_ "

" _Sh-shut up!_ "

"HUMAN! I'LL HELP YOU THROUGH THESE TRYING TIMES! I'LL KEEP BEING YOUR COOL FRIEND, AND ACT LIKE THIS ALL NEVER HAPPENED. AFTER ALL, YOU'RE VERY GREAT. IT WOULD BE TRAGIC TO LOSE A FRIEND LIKE YOU. SO PLEASE, DON'T CRY BECAUSE I WON'T KISS YOU. BECAUSE I DON'T EVEN HAVE LIPS."

"AND SOMEDAY, YOU'LL FIND SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME." He stopped and looked away, thinking. "WELL, NO, THAT'S NOT TRUE. NO ONE IS AS GREAT AS ME. BUT I'LL HELP YOU FIND THE NEXT BEST PERSON!"

And with that, he raced off. But a second later, Papyrus was back with a piece of paper. Where he'd gotten it from, you'd never know. "HERE'S MY PHONE NUMBER. YOU CAN CALL ME ANYTIME!" He winked. "PLATONICALLY OF COURSE. WELL, GOTTA GO! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Finally, the date was over. You were back in Papyrus' room, near the door. It felt as if a lifetime had gone by in those few minutes.

" _That was… weird, right?"_ You asked after a moment. " _It's not just me, right?_ "

" _No… but it was fun,_ " Frisk said with a grin. You couldn't help the smile from growing on your face either. It was infectious.

" _Yeah… It was pretty fun._ "

* * *

 **A/N: Man, I really need to learn to keep up a regular schedule. I just have way less time these days. Sorry guys. But in other news, I now have a tumblr page I can use to update you guys on updates for this story and others. Check it out if you'd like. The link is on my profile. And as always, thank you for reading.**


	9. His Theme

" _He ruined the fries..._ " You muttered darkly. " _This was a set-up!_ " You were left staring at the ketchup-doused french fries in front of you. Sans sat on the barstool next to Frisk with that stupid shit-eating grin on his face. It was somehow more annoying than usual. You wanted to tear it straight off his bony face.

" _It's just ketchup you know,_ " Frisk replied, unconcerned. You thought that was an outrage.

" _You can't expect us to eat fries like this! I'm not some kind of savage!_ " What kind of freak dumped ketchup on their fries instead of dipping them like a civilized being.

" _You're overreacting._ "

" _You're underreacting! I'm gonna kill that pile of bones for this!_ "

"eh, forgeddaboudit," Sans said. "here, you can have mine. i'm not hungry anyway." The stout skeleton quickly passed his tray of fries over to Frisk's spot. You narrowed your eyes. "... _Soon._ "

Frisk began to eat, as Sans continued to talk. Not that Frisk was prone to interrupt either way. "anyway, cool or not, you have to agree papyrus tries really hard." You rolled your eyes. You'd never met anyone as determined as him who didn't have any Determination. As far as you knew anyway. "he's always trying to be the best royal guard ever. did you know he went to the house of the head of the royal guard and begged her to let him be in it?"

Yeah, that sounded like something he'd do.

"of course she shut the door on him because it was midnight," Sans said with a small chuckle. Yeah, that sounded like something she would do too. "but the next day she woke up and saw him still standing there. seeing his dedication, she decided to give him warrior training." He scratched the back of his skull awkwardly. "it's, uh, still a work in progress." He didn't have to tell you twice. In your opinion, Papyrus was wasting all of his potential. His stats were practically as good as Undyne's, and he held back to the point where you'd never die, no matter what. What a wimp.

He suddenly stood up from the barstool and started out the door. "welp, that was a long break. I'll have to get you back from pulling me away from my work for so long. and grillby? put the meal on my tab." And with that, he was gone.

You and Frisk sat in silence for a bit, until they broke the quiet. " _That was a date, right?_ "

" _No it wasn't!_ " You shouted back.

" _I'm calling it a date and you can't stop me!_ "

" _Damn it, Frisk!"_

"The stars are beautiful tonight," Frisk said quietly, staring up. The crystals set in the ceiling glittered brightly as you walked through Waterfall. They almost looked like a real night sky. If it weren't for the perpetual freezing water of this place you'd definitely appreciate it more. You thanked whatever higher being that was out there that Frisk was the one experiencing wet socks.

" _First of all, those aren't stars. Second of all, if you say that again I'll drown us both._ "

Frisk grinned. They were going to say it. " _You know what else is beautiful?_ "

" _I swear to God._ "

" _Toriel_." You froze, angry tirade half out of your mouth as what they said sunk in.

" _Stop trying to flirt with my mom!_ " You shouted. If it were possible, your cheeks would have been a deep red. Frisk giggled at your annoyance.

You'd been walking through Waterfall for a good hour, avoiding Undyne, avoiding Onion-San, and keeping an impatient eye out for Temmies up until now. But what you couldn't avoid was the tranquil atmosphere of this place. Even the music that played was beautiful and slow, and reminded you of something else for some reason. But it was also boring as hell. You actually looked forward to the terrifying experience of Undyne gunning you down with spears. At least that fish lady was actually a challenge.

You abruptly remembered the first time you fought Undyne, only a few RESETs ago. Even you were terrified. Frisk was a wreck, running as fast as they could to get away. No other monster had been so intent on ending you both. Just running from her spears had been scary enough. Weapons of murder flew over your head, sometimes narrowly missing, sometimes striking true. It was hell.

Frisk frantically dialed Toriel's number again and again, hoping to God she'd pick up. They'd cry and sob for her to help like she promised, but there was never an answer. The only answer you ever knew was the dank smell of stagnant water, and the spear that plunged through your stomach, beginning another reload. She'd forgotten Frisk just like she'd forgotten you and _him_. Nobody ever came.

It was only after the tenth time fighting her that you both decided it was time to really fight back. Running never worked. She was faster, and you could never know where to go. With everything you had, you fought against Undyne's onslaught. You died many times, but you were getting better. Frisk had retreated to the inner reaches of your shared mind as you fought. You were okay with that. It was easier to focus. And then, you finally struck Undine hard enough to kill her. Your LV went up a lot. Even Frisk had no comment on it. You wondered how much easier things would be if you simply killed everything in your path. You'd have so much LV, nothing could ever kill you again. You'd never have to die. Even Frisk couldn't stop you as you RESET.

" _Hey, you know we never really figured out what was in there,_ " Frisk suddenly said. You were shaken from your daydreams. They were pointing at a hole in the wall, one that lead to a room containing a piano, and according to the sign, a great treasure. You never knew the answer to that puzzle. You knew how to play, but nothing you did could make that treasure appear. Frankly, you'd given up on it. No matter how much your RPG senses were tingling, you would just ignore it.

" _Let's move on,"_ you suggested. " _We've got an eternity to figure it out._ " You floated ahead, ignoring the signs posted on the walls. This stupid history lesson through Waterfall was terrible. Talking about the war, and how monsters got trapped down here.

And how absorbing a human SOUL affected a monster.

That part was a sore subject. You didn't like to talk about it. You were sure even Frisk wasn't aware of what had gone down… actually, how long ago had that been? Anywhere from a week to a thousand years as far as you could tell. Maybe someone down here could tell you.

" _You never mentioned why you hate these signs so much,_ " Frisk said quietly. " _You speed past them, ever since the first time we were here._ "

" _Because humans are terrible,_ " you spat back. " _We're the whole reason everyone is trapped down here, including us. Monsters are right to hate and attack us so much._ "

" _Then why do you want to kill them? Isn't that just making things worse for them?_ "

You froze. A chill ran down your spine. " _That- it's not like that, okay! It's all for curiosity's sake. If we're gonna be stuck down here forever, I'd rather not get killed as easily as some slime because you're too scared to go all out. It's kill or be killed. And as long as we RESET, no one will remember._ "

" _We will._ "

You hunched your shoulders. " _Just make yourself forget. It works wonders._ "

Finally, you reached a room that still filled you with curiosity. A lone statue sat in the center of the room, near the wall. The constant pitter-patter of water dripping onto it filled the room. Even music didn't play there. The statue looked oddly familiar. Maybe it was the horns or something.

" _Maybe we should give it an umbrella,_ " Frisk suggested. " _It can't like water dripping on it like that._ "

You raised an eyebrow/ " _It's a statue, Frisk. It can't like anything._ " But before they could argue, you quickly added, " _But fine. Give your new friend an umbrella._ " Frisk nodded and ran off to the next room, where water fell from the ceiling in buckets. You thought you were under a lake in this area, or something. It certainly wasn't rain. No rain fell that consistently. It was even like this when you were still alive.

" _Hey, bro?"_

" _Yeah?"_

" _How come it's always raining in here?" You jumped into a puddle, sending even more water to soak his fur. He glared indignantly at you._

" _It's not rain. We're underground, remember?"_

 _You stuck out your tongue at him. "That still doesn't answer my question, dummy."_

 _He thought for a moment, before arriving at an answer. "Maybe we're under the ocean in this area! And the ground can't hold all of it back, so it just drips right down."_

" _That's dumb."_

" _No it isn't!"_

" _Yeah it is. If it's the whole ocean, why doesn't this whole cave collapse? Or at least flood."_

" _Ummm…."_

" _I think it's a water monster, trying to do a good deed by giving us all of these puddles to splash in." To emphasize your point, you jumped right into a big one. A ton of water splashed around your rain boots and right into Asriel's face. He sputtered as he wiped the water from his eyes._

" _So that's how it's gonna be, huh? I'll get you back at bath time!"_

" _I'd like to see you try!"_

A strange sound drew you from your thoughts. You had zoned out for a while, evidently. Frisk had already retrieved an umbrella, and affixed it to shield the statue from the incessant rain drops. And accompanying it, was music.

You recognized the tune at once. Your shoulders locked, and you clenched your fists. A strange feeling welled up in your throat.

"Wow, what a beautiful tune..." Frisk mused aloud. "What do yo- Chara?"

Your cheeks felt hot. There was something odd running down them. Water? Were there more leaks? No, it was in your eyes too. They felt puffy. Your breathing was off too. Oh, that's it.

You were crying.

Memories flooded back to you. Times when Toriel would hum this tune to you to get you to fall asleep on nights you had nightmares. _He_ would hum it too when he knew you were having a bad day. Somehow, it always made you calm down. He said it was a lullaby his parents used for years. It still made you think of him.

You wiped your eyes with the back of your sleeve and sniffed. " _I… I get the puzzle now. Come on..._ "

" _Chara, are you…?_ "

" _Let's just go solve that damn puzzle already, okay!_ " You shouted back. Frisk's eyes were trained on your undoubtedly bloodshot ones. Their face was full of worry. Where did they get off on that anyway? Caring about everyone, even some demon like you. You hated how much they reminded you of him.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey look, i'm still alive. Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I randomly ran out of motivation for this story. But since I should be studying for finals, looks like this won out.**


	10. Trolled by a Furry Atrocity

You wiped your eyes again with a frown as the back wall of the room slid open. You had recovered from that embarrassing meltdown already, and were ready to finally solve the mystery of this room. Whatever was back there had better have been good for you to have gone through that meltdown. Once you figured it out, the puzzle was easy, but you were feeling drained after all of that… emotion? You were pretty sure you weren't supposed to feel that. Maybe it was some sort of muscle memory thing. Flowey would probably know more about it than you.

But Flowey didn't matter right then. You just wanted to figure out the secret of this place.

" _Come on, Frisk!_ " You announced, floating ahead. " _That treasure won't collect itself!_ " Frisk followed a bit complacently. You could tell they were worried about you. See, that's exactly the kind of thing you didn't miss. All of that feeling bad for people and wanting to help them through their problems got you nowhere. All it did was make people want to depend on you later. Utterly pointless.

The first thing you saw was what had to be the treasure. A gleaming red orb, resting atop an ornate pedestal. The sight filled you with… something. Not determination that was for sure. " _What… is it?_ " you muttered with a dumbfounded expression. You wanted gold, not some sort of weird ball.

" _Maybe it's an orb of ultimate power?_ " Frisk suggested. " _I saw it in a comic once._ " That sounded dumb. But if that's what it really was, who were you to complain? With this, who needed LV in the first place?

Frisk stepped forward to grab the orb. You watched anxiously. " _Careful, it might be booby-trapped. And we haven't SAVEd in a while._ " If only you had something its exact weight and size. Then you could quickly switch the two out and avoid any giant boulders or arrows like in that movie.

Their hand inched forward ever so slowly. Their fingers just barely touched its surface. Suddenly, Frisk stopped. " _Grab it already, idiot!_ " You shouted without realizing it. Man, where did that outburst come from?

" _I can't put it in the inventory. Too many dogs._ "

You blinked. Too many… dogs? Did you hear that right? They had to be joking.

And yet, evidently not. Frisk held out their hand, and popping into existence came… Annoying Dog. You'd know that shaggy white fur and dopey expression anywhere. Your eyes instantly narrowed. You definitely understood Papyrus' annoyance with this thing. " _You… deployed the dog..._ " you said with utter confusion and apathy.

What happened next, neither of you could expect. At once, the dog burst forward. Or more accurately, floated out of Frisk's much smaller hand (seriously how was it even standing in their hand anyway?). It moved erratically until it landed right on the pedestal. Right on the treasure!

" _ **Don't you dare!**_ " It was almost like A.D. looked you right in the eyes at it put its paw on the orb. _And absorbed it into itself_.

You and Frisk both stood dumbfounded as the dog once again floated off to parts unknown. You could have sworn it literally passed through the cave walls. but it was too dark to tell. You just hoped there really was a hole in the rock somewhere. The implications of the other possibility were too annoying to imagine.

" _I can't believe… a_ _ **dog**_ _stole our treasure,_ " you muttered angrily.

" _Don't worry, Chara,_ " Frisk said suddenly. They were going through their inventory again. You knew that blank stare anywhere. " _It left another treasure!_ " What popped into existence next made you want to barf. It was a pile of garbage. One that seemed to be inexplicably growing. _This_ was what Frisk considered treasure?

" _I can probably heal myself with this. I see some food in there._ " You stared at Frisk with horrified concern. They were going to eat that?!

" _Never talk to me again._ "

 _ **~Twenty Minutes Later~**_

" _How long does this fight last again?_ " You ask Frisk as they circle around another volley of weird squiggly balls. " _He's getting cotton all over the dialogue box again._ " You wiped a handful of the fluff from the air. One of the only monsters who was dedicated to wiping you out for something you didn't even remember doing, and they were a complete idiot. They made angry people look bad, which was a crime in your opinion.

The odd magic attacks once again struck Mad Dummy directly. They flinched for just a moment, but their odd dance continued in due time. Did this thing even have an exploitable health bar? You liked it better when your concentrated malice made them so mad they fused with that stupid dummy. So much easier to hit that way.

" _We haven't even gotten to the missile part yet,_ " Frisk replied. " _Another three minutes I think._ " You groaned. This fight lasted _forever!_ There wasn't even an option to try and fight back! Who designed this anyway? If this were a video game, you'd find this portion rather annoying.

"Foolish! Foolish! Foolish!" Mad Dummy shouted. At once, smaller dummies appeared by the sides of your vision, ready to fall into Frisk. And you for that matter. You found out the hard way that their attacks managed to hit you somehow. And hurt. Maybe because you were both ghosts? You'd never know. But for once, you and Frisk were working side-by-side to dodge these attacks. It was wild.

Dummies slid by as you jumped into the one free spot. Another group appeared from above and fell down. You and Frisk narrowly avoided that one, but it was muscle memory at that point. Right on cue, a group of dummies appeared again, and fired their long-range magic from behind you. Frisk placed themselves right in front of Mad Dummy and jumped out of the way just in time. The attacks struck your plush adversary instead, pissing him off even more. This was just getting aggravating.

"Futile futile futile!"

" _Will you shut up already?!_ " You shouted back.

"No!" You blinked. Did Mad Dummy just…? No… that wasn't possible.

Another volley of attacks followed. You were getting sick of this whole routine. A chorus of insults in threes came and went, along with your last nerves. But finally, it was time to switch things up.

"HEY GUYS!" Mad Dummy shouted. They were pissed off. More than they usually were anyway. Their dummy lackies appeared again, but from all sides.. If you didn't know any better you'd have thought they were scared. "Dummies. Dummies! DUMMIES! Remember how I said NOT to shoot at me!? Well… FAILURES! YOU'RE ALL FIRED! YOU'RE ALL BEING REPLACED!"

So, they were actually sentient beings? Why couldn't Mad Dummy do anything for themselves?

"Haha! Hahahahah! Now you'll see my true power! Relying on people that aren't garbage!"

Apparently not.

A mechanical whir began to fill the whir, even amongst Mad Dummy's jazzy tune. You wondered when Napstablook would show up and end this. Maybe you could go get them or something.

"Dummy bots! MAGIC MISSILES!" A quartet of dummies appeared behind you, but these were no ordinary plush monstrosities. These were ordinary STEEL monstrosities! Ones that fired missiles instead of squiggly balls that honestly didn't do much.

Right on cue, each of the dummies fired a missile. They all homed in on Frisk, the glowing red light on each signifying their activation. Frisk set off at a run, circling one area. You both knew how to take care of this attack with ease. The missiles followed, though their power supplies were obviously running out with each passing second. And when the last bit of power blinked out, the missiles were set on a straight path. Directly into Mad Dummy's face.

But for some reason, they were glaring at a mirror at that moment. They barely reacted to getting struck by their own attack, but turned to glare at you and Frisk with the same expression.

"Dummy bots! Try again!" Mad Dummy was getting even more pissed off. You wondered if it were possible for them to form a crystal of solid rage. You saw that in a movie once.

This time, dummy bots appeared from three sides. In an instant, missiles were fired from each and every one. You and Frisk ran toward Mad Dummy to get away from the initial wave, and once again circled the missiles to get them to go where you wanted. However, this time, not all of them hit their mark, and instead flew off into space. This didn't make your scarecrow of an enemy any less mad though.

" _He's hopping mad,_ " you said, unable to resist the pun. God, Sans was getting to you.

"Dummy bots!? You're awful too!?" They began hopping around like crazy, body parts not even staying together. "Argh! FINAL ATTACK, EVERYONE!"

At once, dummies appeared on either side of you. You and Frisk jumped into a safe place as they shot past. But just in time, a missile came barreling down at you. Frisk ducked down. The rocket shot overhead. But it was time for another round of regular dummies. They came from above and below. You and Frisk ran for cover, but another missile was coming your way. You both ducked under the missile, and slid into the open area right before the dummies reach it. But just in time, a whole squad of robo-dummies appeared on all sides. Frisk dodged a volley of missiles from the front. They ran in circles, letting the dummies own weakness take care of itself as always. And this time, all missiles hit their mark.

"N-no way!" Mad dummy sputtered. "These guys are even WORSE than the other guys!" A vein bulged in their head as they opened their bloodshot eyes wide. "WHO CARES WHO CARES WHO CARES! I DON'T NEED THOSE GUYS ANYWAY! I DON'T NEED FRIENDS! I HAVE KNIVES!"

With a ping, a metal knife popped into existence next to Mad Dummy. With all their psychic might, they threw the weapon across the void.

And made it nowhere near your or Frisk. Like, five yards off. Everyone present paused in shocked silence. The dummy because they were shocked at their failure. You and Frisk because it was just pathetic.

"I'm… out of knives..." they said sheepishly. But they quickly shot back to their animated rage. "But it doesn't matter! I can't hurt you and you can't hurt me!" Their flopping rage grew even more insane. "YOU'LL BE STUCK FIGHTING ME FOREVER! FOREVER FOREVER FOREVER! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

Mad dummy flailed wildly, every part of their body flapping in the nonexistent wind. You stared impassively, wishing you had a watch. But after a few moments…

" _Three… two… one..._ "

Familiar drops of liquid began to fall onto Mad Dummy's head. A deluge of the drops cascaded down, smothering the ghost under them. They flailed once again, but this time in pain.

"Wh… what the heck is this!? ERHG! ACID RAIN!? OH FORGET IT! I'm out of here."

And with that, Mad dummy floated up and out of sight. You made sure to include a slide whistle noise with their exit. What? It wasn't like you couldn't make your own sound effects. You figured that out while fighting Shyren. Or more accurately, having a concert with her. And then promptly broke up after a thirty year career that lasted five minutes. Were you bitter? Of course not. Just because she went off on a successful solo career and left you in the dust didn't mean you had to be mad.

Wait, what were you doing again? Oh right, talking to Napstablook. Once again, their toxic tears had saved the day. Not that they realized it.

"o-oh, i made your friend go away as soon as i came over..." You groaned. There they went again with that whole victim routine. Didn't Napstablook ever realize they were useful? "you guys looked like you were having fun… i just wanted to say hi… i'm sorry…"

And with that, the battle screen faded away, and you were left standing knee deep in trash water. Just perfect.

Napstablook still stood before you, looking even more pitiful than usual. "u-um, my house is just up ahead if you two want to stop by… not that you have to or anything..." And with that, the ghost floated on up ahead, leaving you to focus on just one word in that sentence. You floated there, dumb-founded and jaw on the floor.

" _Did they just say… two?_ "


End file.
